‘Achieve textile circularity through collaboration’

Stronger collaboration between industry, policymakers and global partners to build a circular textile economy has been urged at a conference in Brussels.

Key barriers to achieving circularity were identified as being low demand for recycled materials, the gap between EU policies and business realities, unfair competition from countries such as China, and the dominance of fast fashion.

The event, organised by Euric, the European recyclers’ umbrella, emphasised the need for a systemic shift towards a circular economy, with a strong focus on legislative action and innovation.

Systemic shift

For the European Environment Agency, Lars Fogh Mortensen presented the agency’s latest briefing on the circularity of the EU textiles value chain which suggests a successful strategy requires a systemic shift towards higher quality, longer use, and increased reuse, repair, and recycling. Elisa Tonda from the United Nations Environment Programme stressed that clarifying the definition of textile ‘waste’, creating infrastructure for circularity, and improving company practices were essential if the sector was to become more circular and sustainable.

Fast fashion

During a panel discussion, Rasmus Nordqvist stressed the need to tackle challenges related to emerging online platforms and fast fashion. Jana Hrčková from sports retailer Decathlon emphasised the importance of harmonised extended producer responsibility systems, as well as securing financial support at both EU and national levels to promote recycling. Bertram Wevers, representing textile recycler Frankenhuis, pointed out that while recycling technology was available, demand for recycled materials remained insufficient. He argued there was too narrow a focus on fibre-to-fibre recycling rather than a more holistic approach.

For the European Commission, Chiel Berends suggested textile waste be included in global regulatory frameworks such as the Basel Convention. Ana Rodes (Recover) and Martin Böschen (TEXAID) called for clear regulations and guidelines for customs authorities inspecting shipments of used textiles or recycled fibres, as well as the importance of financing waste streams through mechanisms such as EPR schemes. Mustafa Sattar (Retex Global) raised concerns about the competitive pressures from countries like China, urging the need for better data to address these challenges.